Have you ever said or thought any of the following?
- I’m not really a writer.
- I’m just an aspiring writer.
- My work is not getting better.
- What I write doesn’t matter.
- I don’t want anyone to read my words.
- I’ll never finish writing my book.
- No one will ever buy it anyway.
- I don’t actually care if anyone buys it.
While these may appear as cautious statements to protect us from disappointment, they are really lies that conspire to hold us back from embracing the writer within.
While we are all writers to one degree or another, if we’ve ever been the least bit intentional about stringing words together to communicate with others, then we are in fact writers. For us, these eight statements are mere mental roadblocks to success.
Yes, I’ve said or thought most of these lies at one point or another. However, I’ve now banned them from my vocabulary and barred them from my mind.
I am a writer, and I am getting better; I want people to read my words and buy my books; what I have to say does matter.
I hope you will join me in rejecting these eight lies and replacing them with the truth. It all begins when we say, “I am a writer.”
Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.